If you’re considering joining us in Hanoi for the 2010 Consortium meeting, you should check out the preliminary schedule that has been released. The “Using OCW” track will explore the many examples of how OCW and OpenCourseWare approaches are being used in support of government, NGO and educational institution efforts. It really shows the breadth and depth of the movement. This should be a great event.

Videos of these unique approaches to composition. Capturing humanities classes in the OCW format has been an ongoing challenge for us, and the camerawork here really captures the dynamics of the course. (Chosen by Curt Newton.)

This was a preview of some not-quite-live new elements to this very popular course. Walter Lewin apparently recorded some help sessions in conjunction with this course some years back, which we’ve recovered and are adding. They include a jazzy soundtrack. In total, there are 25 hours worth of problem-solving fun. Also some new visualizations and simulations from the TEAL version of the course. Coming this fall. (Chosen by Elizabeth DeRienzo.)

One of the courses supported by one of our new Course Champions. Great materials for those without a science background who are pressed into such service. Concentrates on subject mastery. Includes videos of key discussion sessions. (Chosen by Fred Jao.)

Our supplemental resources have gotten a face lift, with new pages structuring them and zip packages to support download. These oft-overlooked resources are some of the real gems on the site. (Chosen by Kate James.)

University of Sumatera Utara has just launched their USU OpenCourseWare, which looks like a great site and includes a number of great resources including a 132 page accounting textbook in what looks to be Indonesian/Malay (I’m guessing, though I am no linguist). Congrats to USU!

Every once in a while something happens that is just a little hard to get to sink in. This is one of those things. It’s really hard for me to imagine an MIT without Professor Lerman. If there is any single person who in my mind embodies the intelligence, decency, thoughtfulness, commitment to improving the world and the thousand other qualities that make MIT such an amazing place to work, it’s Professor Lerman.

I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Professor Lerman through his service as the chair of the MIT OpenCourseWare Faculty Advisory Committee, and he was also one of the handful of faculty that shepherded OCW from concept to implementation. And his contributions to OCW are just a small part of his what he’s brought to MIT over several decades of service in a range of roles. I’ve no doubt that George Washington University will be a richer community with his addition, but it’s a real loss for MIT and OpenCourseWare. I wish him all success in this new challenge, and he’ll be greatly missed.

There’s been some talk in the OER/OCW community about the transition of many projects from grant funding to other sources of revenue, and what the impact on the movement might be. I’m happy to share some news that indicates the strength of the movement–commitments just announced by 14 of the longstanding members of the OpenCourseWare Consortium to provide $25,000 each over the next five years to fund Consortium activities, for a total commitment of $350,000. Not only are these 14 organizations able to fund their OCW programs, but they are able to provide substantial support to the global movement as well.

In addition, other members of the Consortium are paying regular membership dues this year of between $50 and $500 dollars for the first time. We’ve now reached a point in the movement where in addition to publishing courseware, schools and other member organizations are putting significant financial skin in the game to support the Consortium. These contributions won’t cover the entire cost of Consortium activities, and the OCWC will continue to look for grants and sponsorships to help fund activities. But this is a big chunk, and demonstrates the value members see in both the mission and the organization.

Here are the organizations making the sustaining member commitments:

China Open Resources for Education (China)
Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands)
Japan OpenCourseWare Consortium (Japan)
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (United States)
Korea OpenCourseWare Consortium (Korea)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States)
Open Universiteit (the Netherlands)
Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico)
Tufts University (United States)
Universia.net (Spain)
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)
University of California, Irvine (United States)
University of Michigan (United States)
University of the Western Cape (South Africa).